Lady’s finger, a vegetable of sliminess which most people avoid eating is back on my blog. It’s been quite a some time since I made a blog food using this beautiful veggie. For some unknown reasons, I wasn’t a big fan of bhindi / okra / lady’s finger. It may be because I was eating bhindi cooked as curry or stir fry in authentic Udupi style. I never even tried to do a make over to my recipes using bhindi. But it happened now in the form of bhindi masala fry. I am loving it as a side dish to chapati. Trust me it has become my new favorite and right now my everyday lunch menu has chapati with some curry. Thrice a week I make bhindi masala fry.
The main reason for any one to dislike lady’s finger is it’s sliminess. There are mainly few things to remember while cooking bhindi. Let us list them.
- Bhindi or lady’t finger has to be washed and wiped out first. The moisture in the veggie tends to increase sliminess after chopping.
- In order to remove sliminess you need to saute the chopped bhindi in oil initially. After 5 to 6 minutes of sauteing the oil coats on them with trace of sliminess.
- Suppose you are cooking bhindi for a curry, then don’t try to cook them in water. Instead use tamarind juice. Tang helps the veggie to get rid of sliminess.
All the above have been tested methods of cooking lady’s finger. So you never get wrong there. I would say them to be foolproof methods. If it’s a dry curry like this bhindi masala fry, I would prefer sauteing in oil otherwise normally I cook them in tamarind water. So dear friends choose your own comfortable method and let me know how you did it please.
Bhindi Masala Fry | Bendekayi Masala Palya
Ingredients
- Lady's finger bhindi- 250gm
- Tomato- 2 nos.
- Onion- 1 no.
- Red chilly powder- 1 tsp
- Salt- 1 tsp
- Cumin powder- 1/2 tsp
- Coriander powder- 1 tsp
- Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
- Garam masala- 1 tsp
- Lemon juice- 1/2 tsp optional
- Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
- Curry leaves- Few
- Cooking oil- 4 tsp
Instructions
Preparation
- Wash the bhindi(okra) under running water, pat them dry and trim the edges. Chop it in to small pieces. Keep aside till use.
- Similarly make thin slices of onion, chop tomato in to medium sized pieces.
Method
- Take a pan adding 2 tsp of oil and chopped bhindi. In medium flame saute it for 5 to 6 minutes or till the sliminess subsides. Transfer it to a plate.
- Next, heat the same pan again with 2 tsp of oil. Throw in cumin seeds and curry leaves. When the cumin splutter add onion slices and saute till they turn translucent.
- Next, include chopped tomatoes and continue sauteing. When tomato turns little mushy add turmeric powder, salt, red chilly powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and garam masala.
- Continue cooking till all the spices have been absorbed. Next add sauteed bhindi and mix well. Switch off after a minute. Squeeze in few drop of lemon if using.
- Delicious bhindi masala fry is ready to serve with chapati or roti.
Notes
- Sauteing bhindi in oil helps to reduce sliminess of the veggie. So do not skip it.
- You can even add finely chopped ginger and garlic followed by onion. I haven't added.
- If tomatoes aren't so tangy, then I prefer to add lemon. You can skip it if you like.
